Leeds Rhinos star Mikolaj Oledzki issued 'strong year' challenge as coach sings praises

Coach Brad Arthur says there is “no reason” why the 26-year-old can’t be on top of his game in 2025, now his long-term future is assured. Oldezki this week signed a new contract, adding three years to his previous deal which was due to expire this autumn.

He is committed to Rhinos until the end of 2028 and Arthur expects to see him reproduce the form that made him the club’s player of the year in back-to-back seasons - a feat only former Men of Steel Iestyn Harris and Jamie Peacock can match during the Super League era.

Oledzki feels his performances dipped last year, but Arthur stressed: “I have really enjoyed my time coaching Mik and I think he can develop into a really strong front-rower, not just for our team, but in the competition. That’s our expectation of him, we are looking for a big, strong year out of him.

“You can see he is nice and relaxed at training, but he’s working really hard. He is very fit for a front-rower, he’s very good physically and he has a great attitude. There’s no reason why he can’t be at his best this year, because there’s no issues - his future is sorted, he is healthy, he is fit and he is ready to play some good footy.”

Oledzki, who was Leeds’ player of the year in 2021 and 2022, made his debut in 2017 and will be due a testimonial in two years’ time. The Polish-born forward has been capped three times by England and his potential availability had attracted interest from Super League rivals, so Arthur feels the decision to stay put is “great for the club”.

He added: “He has spent a lot of time here, been through some tough times and hopefully he can get some good times out of it. It shows, with the work Bleasy [sporting director Ian Blease] is doing, the club is heading in the right direction and players want to stay here. That’s pretty important; it is a good example to the other guys because there’s a few guys coming off contract.”